Lake District Road climbs

It depends a bit on how tired you are, but personally I'd say that the Hardknott is rough in the Whitton direction while Wrynose is quite unpleasant from the other, Langdale end, in an endless sort of way and the bottom of the Honister from Borrowdale is steep and nasty. Mostly though it's just a question of pacing as long as you have the basic fitness. Don't go into stuff already on your limit and you'll usually be fine. What you don't want to do is blow part way up something nasty, which is easier when you know the climb already.

The Whitton route is ace, whether you enjoy riding it in company with loads of others is more of a personal call.

I found the Struggle pretty easy, it kind of levels off a bit in the middle which is a nice bit of respite.

Get hold of Simon Warren's "100 Climbs" books:

[url= https://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Greatest-Cycling-Climbs-Cyclists/dp/0711231206/ref=sr_1_1?crid=YRHY5DK9QNS7&keywords=100+climbs&qid=1667832742&sprefix=100+cli%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-1 ]Book 1[/url]

[url= https://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-100-Greatest-Cycling-Climbs/dp/0711232652/ref=sr_1_6?crid=YRHY5DK9QNS7&keywords=100+climbs&qid=1667832786&sprefix=100+cli%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-6 ]Book 2[/url]

[url= https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cycling-Climbs-North-West-England-Warren/dp/0711237085/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=simon+warren+cycling+books&qid=1667832850&sprefix=simon+warren+%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-9 ]NW England Climbs[/url]

The Struggle is one of my favourite climbs, I Everested it a few years ago (22 ascents). Even Hardknott is doable with enough low gears and a bit of determination although I'd pick your time to do it fairly carefully - a lot of the Lake District honeypot areas get unpleasantly busy with muppet tourists in summer most of whom have no idea of how to drive on roads like that. And in winter they can be snowy and icy. We did Wrynose one winter from Ambleside, ignored the multitude of Road Closed signs, got half way up and found a crashed and abandoned BMW estate on one of the snow covered bends. Presumably he thought his X-Drive would cope but Wrynose had other ideas. We rode it OK but it was properly sketchy in places!

Somewhere on Instagram there's a shot of me descending The Struggle in the snow too (on my CX bike), that was...entertaining.

The secret to hardknott is not to try to get up it as fast as you can, rather just get up it.

It’s the only climb I’ve ever thought half way up ‘I might not be able to make this’… it’s very tough but still doable for a club cyclist of average fitness I’d say

Didn’t really enjoy road cycling in the lakes tbh, roads too busy and the descents were far too steep, with road surfaces making them borderline dangerous

a fave loop back in the day when i was half fit was,
ambleside, langdale, langdale end, wrynose, hardnott, birker fell, ulpha, broughton mills,torver,coniston and ambleside.

and i seem to recall i managed it mostly without too much trouble.

You should be able to tan all those climbs in isolation, coming from MTB - off-road climbing is way more intense. What you won't be able to do (yet) is string them all together in a ride - roadie legs just take time to develop (so I hear) so you can hit climb after climb without cramping. So putting together a progressive sequence of climbs is the way to get stronger.

The Fred is a great event, and especially great if you're not really a roadie so it feels like a big challenge / something new. Hardknott at 90 miles is just a superb signature feature. First time I entered on a whim and there was easy enough time from Jan to end of May to get into some sort of road shape. So don't wait until you're fit or any bollox like that, just enter - it's oversubscribed so a place is not guaranteed.

Take care on those descents in winter!

What are your experiences? which are the difficult ones, obviously Hardkott is the killer and at present a dream to climb, but do intend to build up endurance over the winter, how hard can it be?

You may be overthinking this a bit. None of them are particularly hard in and of themselves. They certainly don't compare with even the easier classic mtb climbs in terms of difficulty. The two caveats to this ( and why they do get a rep) are:

1) get some sensible low gears. Don't succumb to this bullshit roadie bollox about 42/28 33/32 etc totally the wrong gear bollocks. Just get a low gear and spin up
2) The Fred ( or other long ride of your choice). They are all bloody difficult when rolled into a long day ride. You do indeed need to get fit for that.

But on an individual basis, just get out there and do them.

We did Hardknott and Wrynose passes with touring luggage and got cheered by some Belgians in a car. The sort of thing you enjoy later over a Pint.
Enjoy yourself climbing has always been more fun than decending.
I liked Wrynose Hardknott, Winlater,Newlands, Honister and Kirkstone. Great for long day out.

Next up is the Struggle!

Actually, to add to my previous post, if you do The Struggle, you can do the other sides of Kirkstone as well.
Ambleside > The Struggle > Summit
Descend to Ullswater, turn around, climb back to Summit.
Descend to Windermere, turn around, climb back to Summit.
Descend to Ambleside.

Can start at the bottom of any of those climbs and do it in any order.

Fall into the pub or cafe of your choice.

Used to work in Barrow mid-week so used to take my bike with me - park at Duddon Bridge, over Birker Fell into Eskdale, up Hardknott and down Wrynose, loop round the Langdales, back up Wrynose and then back down Dunnerdale from Cockley Beck. First time up Hardknott lowest gear was 39x23 it was raining so needed to give it some beans to get over the cattle grid just for starters. Thing with Hardnose is you can’t see the steepest bit from the bottom, so second time up is worse as you know what’s coming. The rippled tarmac on some of the descents make them worse.

a lot of the Lake District honeypot areas get unpleasantly busy with muppet tourists in summer

Personally I find a lot of the road riding in the Lake District quite unpleasant. There are better places to ride imo.

As far as the climbs go, Hardknott is mental steep, to the point I thought I might not have the body weight to turn the pedals. Steepest bit is near the top as well. I'd say its not even that enjoyable a climb, because there's no rhythm to it. It's more of an experience which you should do once, but once is probably enough.

Whinlatter is a satisfying climb, which I think you've found. Not the most majestic or the most difficult but nice to ride.

Most of them are easily doable, as said already, it's the distance to get to them and stringing them together that'll murder the legs. Pick some shorter loops to begin with and you'll br fine. Some of the descents can be sketchy.

I find a lot of the road riding in the Lake District quite unpleasant. There are better places to ride imo.

agree with this 100%
me and the wife are looking to go away on wednesday for a few days. she said the lakes is nice in autumn.
i said, it is but just too bloody busy everywhere.
we like to pootle about on the bikes, obviously at low lever, and every time we go to the lakes, you cant seem to find anywhere nice and quiet.

northumberland will be our destination i reckon.

A few curve balls:
Birker fell, corney fell (avoid sellafield commute times)

A6 kendal to shap

Kirkby stephen to ravenstonedale

Local to me short sharp killers
Knottallow, kirkby moor west to east, haverthwaite clock tower to bigland, woodland fell, hummer lane from torver, broughton mills to stephenson ground anticlockwise

As a teenager i failed to get up Wrynose on a touring holiday

We went back a few months later for a rematch. Camped in Langdale road Langdale pass, wrynose and hard knott. Had bacon and egg pie in the station cafe turned round and reversed the three passes

Those were the days

I’ve just remembered the lack of brakes. Maybe they weren’t

Hardknott gets into your head because of its reputation (and approaching from Eskdale when you see it in the distance it looks comically steep).
If you dealt with Newlands ok you’ll be fine on Hardknott.
Also, enter the ballot for the Fred, it’s ace.

I’ll copy my reply from the same question on UKC for the non- rock climbing cyclists…

The Keswick area passes are great as you can choose how far and steep you want and make a route accordingly. I would rank them from hardest to easiest as :

Honister from Buttermere

Honister from Borrowdale

Newlands from Buttermere

Newlands from Braithwaite

Whinlatter from Lorton

Whinlatter from Braithwaite

You can do them all in a long ride without repeating any, or choose a combo to suit.

Fred Whitton is a great day out, don't underestimate the hilly bits that aren't major passes, especially Cold fell area.

Here's an alternative challenge. Get up hardknott whilst not going outside Z2. I had an endurance ride planned and my mate insisted we go on a loop from Ambleside.

Takes a reasonable amount of balance, at parts I was down to 30rpm!

@ton - the Eden valley is an ace place to pootle away a quiet autumn day or three. Places like Armathwaite have some lovely autumnal walks and rides, such as Lacey Caves. Some of the 'fellside' villages have great views and a couple of cafe/pubs that are worth stopping at.

Fairly absent monded lost by me above, context for me putting local stuff in was that theres plenty of horrible hills on quiet roads in the lakes if you avoid the big names. Shorter but sharp stuff.

Hardknott with modern gearing isn't that difficult, it's just a slog and the VERY difficult point is near the top, so you don't have to carry the fatigue of having done it over the rest of the climb. It's one where you need to meter your effort. The most difficult thing I found was traction when it's damp.

If you've got a gravel bike too, the partially concrete/tarmac track up to the saddle between Dodd and Carlside is a brutal gem. Higher than Honister, and with a nice relaxed ride back down the other side.

Hardknott with modern gearing isn’t that difficult

Define ‘isn’t that difficult’. Its by far the hardest climb I’ve ever been up and I’m a pretty fit club cyclist. It certainly a lot easier on modern gears than a 39-23, but even with a 34-32 it’ll be a very stern test for 95% of riders

I actually struggle to see how non elite riders could get up there on old school gearing!!

For a quieter alternative, have a look at the Forest of Bowland. I did a sportive there years ago which had as much climbing as the Fred, but barely a car to be seen.

don’t underestimate the hilly bits that aren’t major passes, especially Cold fell area.

Absolutely. Do an honest climb and you get the energy back on the descent however, knacker yourself on supposedly easy rolling stuff misguidedly trying to tow people back onto a group, and then face solo the long drag into the inevitable and constant cold fell headwind? Just nah.

And those saying Hardknott's not so bad? I thought it was in another league compared to the other climbs on the Fred.

don’t underestimate the hilly bits that aren’t major passes, especially Cold fell area.

Cold Fell is far and away the worst climb on the Fred Whitton Challenge.
It's not a "named pass" so no-one is expecting it, it comes at that psychological low point of about 70 miles - already a big day out but you're still 40+ miles to go! Everyone is thinking ahead to Hardknott / Wrynose, the feed station is a fair way behind you so a lot of people who haven't eaten properly are flagging slightly and then you get Cold Fell, an unrelenting slog almost always into a bloody great headwind.

Worst climb by far.

Hardknott, coming after a nice feed and refuel stop and (usually) with a tailwind is tough but you *know* it's going to be tough and you've prepared for that.

those saying Hardknott’s not so bad? I thought it was in another league compared to the other climbs on the Fred.

Presumably because you did it after all the other climbs in the Fred (Wrynose excepted)

Agree with everything crazylegs writes above.

Wrynose from Llangdale is harder than Hardknott for me. I topped out on Hardknott then dropped back down to get my ex on my wheel and bring her up which got me a round of applause from a load of roadies watching which was nice. Weekday is best I'd say, it's pretty quiet in my experience or at least quieter.

I did Wrynose and Hardknott last summer on a scorcher day got to Eskdale turned around and came back the other way, I think Wrynose was harder... Lad I was with just shot off, couldnt hold on at his pace. Coming down Hardknott was unpleasant with the amount of sweat on my hands arms everywhere, braking was difficult which is prob why i did so well on strava!!! Did the struggle after and found that easier than the previous two.

This thread is making me want to enter the Fred ballot again